Bob, a really insightful post, which really gets to the issue.
My difficulty is in how to really figure out which EFIS system's Process Management would make more logical sense to me, and to therefore be easier for me to use.
It seems to me that all of the EFIS systems have plenty of information and features, I just worry that the process won't make sense to me.
Other than begging a ride with someone, is there any way to sort this out?
Thanks!
There may be way, but I haven't found it yet.
When I was shopping for an EFIS (which I spent two years evaluating products due to I couldn't afford the purchase and I wasn't at a point in my build that I needed them) I went with two other folks that were also looking to make the EFIS decision to all the vendors at OSH. After each vendor, we would huddle and compare observations. It was interesting in what each of use keyed in upon.
For example, there was one product, in which the font and size of the altitude and speed indicators could be read without this person putting on his reading glasses. Face it, most of us old farts, need reading glasses. I didn't catch this particular nuance. Is it a discrimating factor that would drive anyone's EFIS decision? Probably only if you are only required to have reading glasses in the plane and not on while flying. I fell into the later group, so it didn't make a difference to me.
Several vendors EFIS can play back demo files. These look nice and show off the capabilities of the product. But it's hard to comprehend the user interface process from these demos.
Other vendors have shot videos in the cockpit while flying an approach. These are marginally better, but tend to be too focused on showing off the product rather than educational in nature in how to operate the EFIS.
There is one vendor that changed their product after the principle got their IFR rating. He personally struggled with the user interface and made products changes to solve the issues they encountered.
That same year at OSH, when one of the vendors that just release a new EFIS that everyone was really hot to purchase, I conducted an informal survey at Camp Scholler and whomever I ran into that I knew that was shopping for an EFIS. I simply asked, "Why did you decided to buy the model of EFIS you selected"? 90% of the folks responded that the made the decision because of that particular unit's graphic display. I then followed up with, so what's the sequence of buttons, menu choices, and knobs I need to touch during an IFR approach. 99% percent came back with, "I don't know".
Granted my survey wasn't conducted using a scientific method and that there are all kinds of issues with how I samplied folks. What it did tell me that the driving factor for EFIS purchases was probably more impulsive based upon a couple slick features than from an exhaustive comparion with how features satisfies your mission requirements.
So this is a very long answer, to simply state, no, I don't think there is a better way other than flying behind a product real time.
bob